Buhari-led APC govt overtly, inherently corrupt, vengeful – PDP

By Dirisu Yakubu
ABUJA-The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has challenged President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to quickly respond to a report by the United States government on corruption, impunity, gross violation of rights and killings going on in the country.From left, Chieftain, Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Bode George, Former Governor of Niger State, Babangida Aliyu Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alh. Sule Lamido, during the party public discourse on contemporary and Governance in Nigeria in Abuja yesterday. Photo by Gbemiga Olamikan
The party in a statement on Tuesday and signed by its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan also said it has been vindicated by the US report even as it accused the APC of a campaign of calumny against opposition figures in the land.

The statement read: “This report by the US Department of State further vindicates our stand that the Buhari-led APC government is overtly and inherently corrupt, vengeful and has been engaging in smear campaign against the opposition to divert public attention from its atrocities.

“The US report directly indicted the APC-led federal government of official corruption, secretiveness, high-handedness, restriction of personal freedom and rights, executive influence on the judiciary, wanton arrests, detention and persecution of opposition as well as extra judicial and arbitrary killing of citizens by state controlled security forces.

“The report also directly discredited President Buhari’s fight against corruption as targeted against opposition members while government officials and APC members, openly indicted for corruption, especially those close to Mr. President, are not prosecuted.

“From the report, the world can now see that the PDP has not been raising false alarm on the unbearable savagery and massive corruption of the APC administration, which has proven to be the worst in the history of our country.

“The world has now known why the APC-led federal government has been fixated on silencing opposition voices using the tyrannical instruments of intimidation, arrest, detention, trumped-up charges and media trial while emasculating free speech and press freedom in our country, all designed to hide their atrocities from the world.”

The PDP also expressed dismay for what it described as the “technical suspension” of the constitution, saying “Citizens now live in fear; bloodletting by marauders and extra judicial killings have become the order of the day; billions of naira meant for the rehabilitation of victims of insurgency are daily frittered by government officials while fundamental human rights have become essential commodities.”